Germany

Eon has announced plans to take over a 76.8% stake in the German utility, RWE’s renewable energy spin-off, Innogy. The acquisition is part of a far-reaching agreement between the two, which envisages redistributing operations so that RWE focuses on the renewable energy business, while energy networks and customer solutions would be the responsibility of Eon.

Thanks to a one-off effect in the solar segment, the company was able to achieve a record turnover of €325 million in 2017.

In addition to the manufacturing of its own modules, the German solar PV producer focuses primarily on OEM production. Negotiations are currently underway with two customers, which would lead to a significant increase in production volume this year.

As Energy Storage Europe approaches, pv magazine counts down the highest-ranked energy storage highlights, selected by our independent jury, that visitors to the exhibition can lay their eyes on. In first-place was Younicos’ combined gas and battery grid services power plant.

As Energy Storage Europe approaches, pv magazine counts down the highest-ranked energy storage highlights, selected by our independent jury, that visitors to the exhibition can lay their eyes on. In second-place is E3/DC Multi-string three-phase battery inverter technology.

Scientists led by the University of Braunschweig have developed a new type of solar concentrator, which can concentrate light from any direction onto a small area, such as a solar panel. The researchers say that funnels can be tuned to different light wavelengths and stacked, allowing for conversion of the entire light spectrum into electricity.

As Energy Storage Europe approaches, pv magazine counts down the highest-ranked energy storage highlights, selected by our independent jury, that visitors to the exhibition can lay their eyes on. In third-place is SMA’s large-scale turnkey solution Medium Voltage Power Station for the global market.

Germany-based distributed battery storage provider, Senec has been acquired by a major German utility.

The Stuttgart-based group has dissolved its R&D joint venture with Japanese companies GS Yuasa International Ltd and Mitsubishi Corporation, instead opting for outsourcing battery cell production over in-house manufacturing.

Following an explosion at a U.S. production facility in 2017, the German polysilicon producer is under investigation by local authorities. Wacker Chemie must now pay a fine of US$20,000 for failing to comply with certain regulations regarding the provision of personal protective equipment and employee safety during maintenance work prior to the accident.